2016 2 / 2 (1-17)

12

SHORT NOTES ON THE PROSOPOGRAPHY OF THE

BYZANTINE THEME OF KOLONEIA (PART I)
Pantelis CHARALAMPAKIS*

*
Research Fellow, Centre for
Advanced Study, Sofia.
pantelcha@gmail.com
This paper1 is the outcome of a preliminary study re-
lated to the TAKTIKON database developed at the
Academy of Athens, Greece.2 The history and proso-
pography of the Byzantine theme of Koloneia in the
Pontos area have been so far discussed in a very few
– yet important – works only, and this is not because
of lack of interest, but because of the limited infor-
mation provided by literary sources and the small
number of seals discovered.
The main objective is to publish two so far unknown
lead seals issued by officials who served in the theme
of Koloneia, as well as to provide the reader with up-
dated prosopographical lists of the thematic offi-
cials. Needless to say, the prosopographical lists pre-
sented in this paper are incomplete, because there
are more unpublished collections of seals – some of
them hard to access – that have to be examined. In a
future second part of this study we shall present the
remaining offices, together with discussion on some

--------------------------------------------------------
1
I would like to thank Dr. Osman Emir for encouraging me to write for KAREN Studies and also for his
warm hospitality in Trabzon in May 2016.
Moreover, I am indebted to Dr. Harald Schulze (Archäologische Staatssammlung München) and Dr. Vassa
Kontouma (IFEB), for granting me permission to publish the seals, and, of course, to Prof. Jean-Claude
Cheynet, who shared information and provided me with photos of the IFEB and BnF specimens. The Insti-
tutions reserve the copyright of these images. Also, I would like to thank Dr. Elena Stepanova (Hermitage
State Museum) and Dr. Nilgün Elam (Eskişehir University) for sharing information about unpublished
specimens. Some of this material will be soon presented in the second part of the study.
2
About the TAKTIKON Project, see Karagiorgou, Charalampakis & Malatras, 2016: .247-252.
Pantelis CHARALAMPAKIS KAREN 2016 / 2 / 2 2

particular problems about the career of certain offi-

cials.
Introduction: Koloneia (Şebin-Karahisar)
Byzantine Koloneia,3 modern Şebin-Karahisar, is lo-
cated in inner Pontos, about 70 km. to the South of
Giresun. It is worth mentioning that although the
name Koloneia (Κολώνεια) implies a Roman colony,
345
all evidence shows that the fortress of Koloneia
dates back to Byzantine and not Roman times. In
fact, the only source mentioning that Pompeius
founded Koloneia after the Roman victory over Mith-
ridates’ army is Prokopios, who also provides the ad-
ditional information that a fortress in that same lo-
cation pre-existed the Roman one, as well as that
Justinian I repaired it in the 6th c.4 Moreover, ac-
cording to Prokopios, near Nikopolis (most likely
modern-day Purk) there was another fortress in the
area of Lesser Armenia. Other sources mention only
Nikopolis as founded by Pompeius after his victory.
It is, perhaps, because of this that some scholars
identified Koloneia and Nikopolis as one and the
same place.5 We do not have evidence about the
early phase of these two city-strongholds, safe for a
Roman era inscription from Nikopolis mentioning
the city’s name. Judging, however, from their later
history, it is obvious that these two cities and / or
strongholds cannot be certainly identified.
The name Koloneia shows the Roman past of the city
and it was still in use in Byzantine times. Due to the
dark color of the soil in the area around which was
full of minerals, the Byzantines later named the for-
tress Μαυρόκαστρον, that is Black Castle. It seems
that this new name was used only for the acropolis,
while the lower city kept the old name of Koloneia.
The Ottomans later simply translated the place name
of the acropolis as Karahisar and evidently as Şapın-
Karahisar, from the word şap, meaning alum,
στυπτηρία. Şebin-Karahisar is a mispronounced and
misspelled modern Turkish form of the Ottoman
name which, of course, has nothing to do with the
word şebin (kind of walnut). Additionally, we may
note here that in Ottoman times the fortress was
--------------------------------------------------------
3
Not to be confused with the stronghold – ἄπληκτον – named Koloneia (modern Aksaray) in Cappadocia.
4
Προκόπιος: 91 (ΙΙΙ.4).
5
In Μεγάλη Ελληνική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια: 738, Koloneia and Nikopolis are mistakenly treated as one and the
same city (mod. Sebinkarahisar), founded by Pompeius.
3 The Byzantine Theme of Koloneia…

also known as Şarkikarahisar or Karahisar-ı Şarki

that is “Karahisar in the East”.
The area around Koloneia was and still is full of min-
erals which were exploited ever since the Middle
Ages or even earlier: copper, iron, lead, alum (hence
the name of the fortress is Ottoman times), sulfur,
brown coal, potassium carbonate, calcium, etc. Be-
ing mostly mountainous, with an average altitude of
over 2700m., the area of Koloneia was the perfect
location for the stationing of an army and for guard-
ing passages. The Byzantines realized the strategic
importance of this place and thus created the “theme
of Koloneia”. Before that time, the city of Koloneia
was known mostly for notable persons originating
from there, e.g. Theodoros of Koloneia, a powerful
Byzantine general of the 7th c. Also people from later
times are known, such as Theodoros of Koloneia, a
Byzantine patriarch of Antioch in the early 13th c.
During the first Byzantine period, Koloneia was
simply another small city with a fortress in the pe-
riphery of the Empire. Apart from Justinian’s build-
ing activity in the area in the 6th c. described by Pro-
kopios, as well as Theodoros, the powerful general,
a native of Koloneia, in the 7th c., there is not much
in the sources. The city itself was attacked by the Ar-
abs in 778 and, despite the military organization
that took place in the previous decades (the creation
of the so-called themes, or rather – as recent schol-
arship has shown – a preliminary stage to the crea-
tion of the so-called themes), the whole Eastern
frontier was under permanent threat at that time.
The military command of the Armeniakoi was cover-
ing a huge area stretching from the lands to the East
of Ankara to Mantzikert and Mesopotamia. For sev-
eral reasons, this administrative area was later split
into smaller districts, one of which was named Ko-
loneia, after its capital. This must have happened be-
fore the mid-9th century or around that time.
The theme was originally a military division as well
as an administrative area under the supervision of a
strategos (general), who, apart from his military du-
ties, was exercising also judicial and administrative
power over the whole area. It is not clear when ex-
actly the first themes were created and most schol-
ars today accept that there was a long process of
Pantelis CHARALAMPAKIS KAREN 2016 / 2 / 2 4

evolution which led to formation of the fully func-

tional units around the early 9th c. Gradually, the few
but geographically speaking large themes were split
into smaller and smaller, thus creating vast provin-
cial bureaucracy with dozens of officials involved in
each unit. It is about the officials who served at the
theme of Koloneia in Pontos that we write in this
study.
Note: Henceforth, when a career or a seal dating is
given in brackets, this means it is the one that the
author of this paper accepts or suggests. When it is
given in square brackets, it means that it is the one
suggested by the scholar(s) whose work is indicated.
In the lists of officials, the first reference shows the
studies related to prosopography, while the second
one shows the publication(s) of the seal(s) or com-
ments on them.
1. Leon, krites of Koloneia (Munich,
Archäologische Staatssammlung, no. 1998.8121)
During our recent research trip in Munich, we had
the opportunity to study and photograph a so far un-
known Byzantine lead seal kept at the
Archäologische Staatssammlung. The specimen is of
unknown provenance.
Diameter (total): 28 x 25 mm.; Thickness: 1-2 mm.;
Weight: 9,29 gr.
Blank slightly smaller than die; slightly broken along
the channel; chipped; fine imprint in general.
Obverse: Theotokos Hodegetria; no visible sigla or Fig. 1. Munich, Archäologische Sta-
atssammlung 1998.8121 obverse
inscription.
(photo P. Ch.)
Reverse: Inscription in 6 lines.
ΚΕ Θ,|Λ̣ΕΟ ΤΙ,| ςπ Θ,Κ ΤΗΕπΙΤ Ι Μ, Τ̣,Κ

+ Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) / Λέοντι {,} /

(πρωτο)σπαθ(αρίῳ) κρ(ι)/τῇ ἐπὶ τοῦ /
ἱππ(ο)δρ(ό)μ(ου) (καὶ) / τ(ῆς) Κολον(είας)
Κύριε βοήθει Λέοντι, πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ, κριτῇ ἐπὶ τοῦ
ἱπποδρόμου καὶ τῆς Κολωνείας
(Lord, aid Leon, protospatharios, krites of the hip-
podrome and of Koloneia)
Fig. 2. Munich, Archäologische Sta-
Dating: 1025-1050 atssammlung 1998.8121 reverse
(photo P. Ch.)
5 The Byzantine Theme of Koloneia…

To our knowledge, there are no parallel or similar

specimens. This seal is of great importance for the
study of the Byzantine theme of Koloneia in general
and of its civil administration in particular, because
only very few officials (civil and fiscal, military, ec-
clesiastical) of this area are known through either
literary sources or sigillographic and epigraphic ma-
terial.
Krites means judge. In this case, krites is a civil offi-
cial appointed to a specific administrative area in or-
der to exercise duties either as a judge or as a judge
and local governor simultaneously (this latter ap-
plies mostly in areas where the military officials –
generals were not very high in provincial hierarchy).
The honorary title of protospatharios, which was al-
ready devaluated around the second quarter – the
middle of the 11th c., means that this Leon was either
a not very important official, or a person with not
much connections in the Palace. His second office,
though, that of krites of the hippodrome, shows that
at least he had served as a judge in the capital.
Leon, whose seal is published here, could have been
the same person with the one registered as no. 8 in
the list below. However, this identification remains
uncertain. If the two persons are one and the same,
then perhaps the seals issued under the title of hy-
patos are later than the one of the protospatharios.
Yet, not only the general appearance of the two boul-
loteria is very much different (image of Theotokos
vs. metrical inscription; letters of different style),
but also the spelling of the geographical name: with
O in one but with W in the other inscription. The
same applies to the two anonymous persons regis-
tered as nos. 9 and 10 in the list below. The seals
issued by the first show a stylite’s pillar on the ob-
verse and a metrical inscription on the reverse,
while the one issued by the second shows Archangel
Michael on the obverse and a metrical inscription on
the reverse.
2. Michael, anagrapheus and krites of Koloneia
and of Sebasteia (Paris, IFEB 1063)
This seal, kept at the IFEB collection, has remained
unpublished and unnoticed. We had the opportunity
to study the specimen during our trip to Paris in
Pantelis CHARALAMPAKIS KAREN 2016 / 2 / 2 6

2015 and Prof. J.-Cl. Cheynet was very kind to send

us later photos of it.
Severely corroded; some letters are hardly visible.
Obverse: Inscription in 5 lines; border of dots.
Κ̣Ε ̣ Θ,.| ς, Μ.|Χ̣ΑΗ, ςπ̣.|Θ,Ρ̣ ,Α̣Ν̣ΑΓ̣ |̣ Ρ̣ ΚΡ̣ ̣ Τ ̣
Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) [τ]/ῷ σ(ῷ) δ(ούλῳ) Μ[ι]/χαή(λ)
(πρωτο)σπ[α]/θ(α)ρ(ίῳ) ἀναγ/ρ(αφεῖ) κρ(ι)τ(ῇ)
Reverse: Inscription in 4 lines; border of dots.
.ςΚΟ|Λ̣ Ν,Ας| ςΕ Α|ΤΗΑ̣ς Fig. 3. IFEB 1063 obverse (photo J.-
Cl. Cheynet)
[τ(ῆ)]ς Κο/λων(ί)ας / (καὶ) Σεβα(σ)/τήας
6
Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Μιχαήλ, πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ,
ἀναγραφεῖ (καὶ) κριτῇ τῆς Κολωνείας καὶ Σεβαστείας
(Lord, aid your servant Michael, protospatharios,
anagrapheus (and) krites of Koloneia and of Sebas-
teia)
Dating: 1022- ca. 1050
Epigraphic criteria suggest a date around the second
quarter of the 11th century. We know that since the
960’s and until ca. 1025, the theme of Koloneia was
somehow associated with that of Chaldia (as evi-
denced by seals). In 1021, Basil II ceded the area of Fig. 4. IFEB 1063 reverse (photo J.-
Sebasteia to Senakhereim, an Armenian nobleman, Cl. Cheynet)
but very soon it was taken back by the Byzantines,
under the governorship of Basileios Argyros.6 Argy-
ros was soon after removed from his office, and it is
very likely that either during the time of his service,
or a little later (but probably before the revolt of
Isaakios, in 1057) the central authorities tried to
connect the theme of Sebasteia, which was not
properly organized after the recent events, to that of
Koloneia, which was a fully functional theme at that
time. Thus, it is not surprising that we find a krites
(judge) with the two themes under his jurisdiction.
Apart from his duties as a judge, this person also
served as anagrapheus, a fiscal official. It must be
stressed here that the fine line between civil and fis-
cal officials in Byzantium is not always clear. Some-
times people were entrusted to occupy more than
one position or their office demanded engagement
with both the civil and fiscal sector.

--------------------------------------------------------
6
See e.g. Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 327-328, 334.
7 The Byzantine Theme of Koloneia…

Thanks to the specimens published here, we may add

two more persons in the list of the judges of this par-
7
ticular theme:
89 1 – Anonymous, krites of Koloneia (976-1007)7: Ni-
kephoros Ouranos, Letters, no. 24.8
10
2 – Niketas, asekretis and krites of Koloneia (975-
1025)9: USA, Washington DC, DO BZS 1955.1.1577 (ex
11 Zacos coll.).10

12
3 – Konstantinos, protospatharios, kensor, krites of
the hippodrome, of Chaldia and of Koloneia (985-
1025)11: USA, Washington DC, DO BZS 1958.106.806
13
(ex Zacos coll.).12
14 4 – Michael, protospatharios, anagrapheus and
krites of Koloneia and of Sebasteia (1022-1050):
15 France, Paris, IFEB 1063.
5 – Niketas, (imperial?) protospatharios, epoptes,
16 strateutes and krites of Koloneia (1025-1050):
France, Paris, BnF Zacos 1892 (ex Zacos coll.).13
17
6 – Leon, protospatharios, krites of the hippodrome
and of Koloneia (1025-1050): Germany, Munich, Ar-
18
chaeologische Staatssammlung 1998.8181.
7 – Basileios Eugenianos, patrikios, hypatos, krites
of the velon and of Koloneia (1040-1060)14: USA,
Washington DC, DO BZS 1955.1.3018 (ex Zacos
coll.).15
8 – Leon, hypatos and krites of Koloneia (1040-
1060)16: USA, Washington DC, DO BZS 1955.1.3788
(ex Zacos coll.)17 // Romania, Bucharest, Romanian
Academy Orghidan 208 (ex C. Orghidan coll.). 18

--------------------------------------------------------
7
PmbZ # 31857 [c. 1000].
8
Darrouzès, 1960: 228, no. 24.
9
PmbZ # 25824 [950-1050]; PBW: Niketas 20211 [1000]; Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 570, no. 140 [10th or 11th c.];
Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 487, no. 2 [10th - 11th c.]; Bryer & Winfield, 1985: 147, fn. 38.
10
McGeer, Nesbitt, & Oikonomides, 2001: no. 48.4 [10th-11th c.].
11
PmbZ # 24008 [950-1050]; PBW: Konstantinos 20327 [1000]; Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 569, no. 139 [10th or
11th c.]; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 487, no. 1 [10th - 11th c.].
12
McGeer, Nesbitt, & Oikonomides, 2001: no. 48.2 [10th-11th c.].
13
Unpublished.
14
PBW: Basileios 20248 [1050]; Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 570, no. 145 [ca. 1050-1075]; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998:
487, no. 3 [11th c.].
15
McGeer, Nesbitt, & Oikonomides, 2001: no. 48.1 [11th c.].
16
PmbZ # 24623 [10th - 11th c.]; PBW: Leon 20268 [1050]; Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 570, no. 143 [11th c.];
Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 487, no. 4 [11th c.]; Bryer & Winfield, 1985: 147, fn. 38.
17
McGeer, Nesbitt, & Oikonomides, 2001: no. 48.3 [11th c.].
18
Seibt & Seibt, 2003: 198; Laurent, 1952: no. 208 [10th - 11th c.].
Pantelis CHARALAMPAKIS KAREN 2016 / 2 / 2 8

9 – Anonymous, imperial spatharokandidatos, krites

of the hippodrome and of Koloneia (1040-1060)19:
USA, Washington DC, DO BZS 1947.2.72 (ex Shaw
coll.).20
10 – Anonymous (perhaps Michael), krites of Ko-
loneia (1050-1070)21: Russia, Saint Petersburg, Her-
19
mitage M-2118 (ex RAIK coll.).22 // France, Paris,
BnF Zacos 3159 (ex Zacos coll.).23
2021

11 – Petros, hypatos, krites of the velon and of Ko-

loneia
22 (1050-1070)24: France, Paris, BnF Zacos 3777
(ex Zacos coll.).25
23
3. The missing inscription of Ioannes,
droungarios of Koloneia
24
An inscription mentioning a certain Ioannes, impe-
rial
25 strator and droungarios of Koloneia, is fre-
quently mentioned in bibliography related to the
theme of Koloneia and its prosopography.26 Since the
26
whole story is not clearly defined in literature, we
would like to put the facts in order and should inves-
tigate who has really seen the inscription and who
has made drawings of it. The full (corrected) text is:
+ Τῆς πατρικῆς οὐσίας ἄναρχε Λόγε φύλαττε ἀεὶ τῷ σῷ
δούλῳ Ἰωάννῃ βασιλικῷ στράτορι καὶ δρουγγαρίῳ
Κολωνείας
(Word without beginning, (Word) of the fatherly ex-
istence, always protect your servant Ioannes, impe-
rial strator and droungarios of Koloneia)
Imperial strator was originally a military office, a
person appointed to take care of the imperial sta-
bles. In the course of time, however, this was used
mostly as an honorific title, granted not only to mil-
itary, but also to civil and fiscal officials.
Droungarios used to suggest a quite high military
rank officer in previous times, but around the late
--------------------------------------------------------
19
PBW: Anonymus 20267 [1050]; Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 570, no. 142 [11th c.]; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 487, fn.
2; Bryer & Winfield, 1985: 147, fn. 38 (Andreas?).
20
McGeer, Nesbitt, & Oikonomides, 2001: no. 48.5 [11th c.].
21
PBW: Anonymus 20151 [1060]; Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 570, no. 141 [11th c.?].
22
Unpublished.
23
Zacos, 1984: no. 541.
24
PBW: Petros 20112 [1060]; Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 570, no. 144 [11th c.]; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 487, no. 5 [11th
c.?].
25
Zacos, 1984: no. 669.
26
PmbZ # 22879 [9th-10th c.]; Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 234, fn. 1320; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 488, no. 1 [9th or 10th
c. – 902/903?]; Bryer & Winfield, 1985: 145, fn. 1 and 147, fn. 38 and 40. Latest edition by Rhoby, 2014:
729-731 [9th-10th c.?].
9 The Byzantine Theme of Koloneia…

9th c. this office was already in decline and we as-

sume that this Ioannes was in charge of a very small
military detachment only.
The inscription was situated on a slab in the church
to the south of Koloneia’s upper citadel main en-
trance. The first record ever of this inscription
comes from an Austrian scholar named A. Dorn, who
27 visited the area in 1863 and informed O. Blau about
the inscription. The latter published a very distorted
28 version of the text (as provided by Dorn) in 1865. 27
The second report on this inscription comes from J.
29
G. Taylor and A. de Courtois, who visited together
the site in 1866. According to Taylor’s description of
30 the church, there was another inscription, on a slab
opposite the one in question, but time had rendered
it totally illegible. Taylor provided a drawing of the
inscription with a cross in the middle and the letters
arranged in the four quarters of the cross’ arms. 28
Fig. 5. Ioannes' inscription (after This drawing was prepared by Taylor himself be-
Taylor, 1868)
cause, as we shall see below, De Courtois was dis-
tributing a slightly different drawing to scholars.
In that same year (1866), another person visited the
site: P. Triantafyllides. He spotted the eagle above
the outer walls’ entrance, as well as the inscription
in the church (mosque at the time). In his opinion,
the person mentioned in the inscription was a cer-
tain Ioannes, bishop of Koloneia.29
In 1870, W. H. Waddington and P. Le Bas published
the inscription in their corpus of Asia Minor inscrip-
tions. The drawing, as they admit, came from A. de
Courtois and indeed, although it is somehow similar
to the one provided by Taylor, there are some minor,
yet important differences.30 What we understand
here is that despite the fact that Taylor and De Cour-
tois visited together the site, each of them prepared
a different drawing for the inscription and they
Fig. 6. Ioannes' inscription (by De
never juxtaposed the two readings.
Courtois, after Waddington and Le
Bas, 1870) S. Ioannides visited the site in 1870. He spotted the
eagle above the outer walls’ entrance, as well as the
droungarios’ inscription in the church, which he er-
roneously linked to Ioannes, bishop of Koloneia (just
--------------------------------------------------------
27
Blau, 1865: 252.
28
Taylor, 1868: 294.
29
Τριανταφυλλίδης, 1866: 113-115.
30
Waddington & Le Bas, 1870: 431, no. 1814g.
Pantelis CHARALAMPAKIS KAREN 2016 / 2 / 2 10

as Triantafyllides did before). Moreover, he was the

first visitor to notice an inscription or a fragment of
inscription indicating a date (ςυι’ = 903/904 A.D.) at
the entrance of the inner keep of the citadel.31
X. A. Sideropoulos visited the site in 1877. Apart
from a plan of the inner citadel, he also provides a
drawing of the droungarios’ inscription, which he
himself saw. Surprisingly, his drawing is much dif-
ferent than those by Taylor and De Courtois because
only some of the words are placed in the quarters of
31
the cross and the rest of the inscription he arranged
in three lines below the cross.32 It is interesting to
32
note here that Sideropoulos was aware of Ioannides’
book and despite his efforts to find the inscription
33
with the date, he wrote that he was not able to see
anything. Apart from this, he also spotted the illegi-
34
ble inscription opposite the droungarios’ one, as
well as the eagle at the outer gate, together with an Fig. 7. Ioannes' inscription (after Si-
illegible inscription next to it. deropoulos, 1886)

In 1866, when Triantafyllides visited the site, the

church had been converted into a mosque. According
to A. Bryer and D. Winfield, the inscription of the
droungarios was removed from its original place and
transferred to another church in the town, after
1868. They also mention that this second church is
now (that is already at the time when they were
writing, in the early 1980’s) lost.33 Apparently the
date they provide cannot be exact, because at least
two people, independently of each other, saw the in-
scription in situ after 1868: Ioannides in 1870 and
Sideropoulos in 1877. Thus, the inscription was re-
moved after 1877. Moreover, the inscription was
spotted by six people in five different missions
(Dorn; Taylor and De Courtois; Triantafyllides; Io-
annides; Sideropoulos), not four missions as Bryer
and Winfield write.34 Later, other scholars (like
Cumont or Benay) drew information or copied the
drawings from the works of some of these people.
Bryer and Winfield suggested that perhaps this Io-
annes, imperial strator and droungarios of Koloneia
(dated in the late 9th – early 10th c.), was the same

--------------------------------------------------------
31
Ιωαννίδης, 1870: 199-200.
32
Σιδερόπουλος, 1886: 135
33
Bryer & Winfield, 1985: 145, fn. 1.
34
See also Lemerle, 1973: 59-60, fn. 24.
11 The Byzantine Theme of Koloneia…

person with the anonymous imperial strator and pa-

raphylax of Koloneia, attested on a seal from the
Dumbarton Oaks collection (USA: Washington DC,
DO BZS 1947.2.73, ex Shaw collection) and dated in
the last quarter of the 9th c.35 The fact that it was
later proved that the owner of this seal was not
named Ioannes as Bryer and Winfield believed, but
remains anonymous, should not refute their genuine
assumption that seems very likely. And if this iden-
tification is correct, then Ioannes served first as pa-
raphylax and later as droungarios in the theme, that
of Koloneia.
4. One more droungarios of Koloneia (Passio of
the 42 Martyrs, rec. Γ’, p. 34)
It seems that, apart from the unpublished sigillo-
graphic material hidden in various state and private
collections, references in already published literary
sources have escaped the attention of scholars who
have tried to establish catalogues of the theme’s of-
ficials.
In the recension Γ’ (the only among a series of ver-
sions) of the Passio of the 42 Martyrs of Amorion,
35
Kallistos,36 an official previously serving in Ko-
loneia, met during his capture by the Arabs with one
of his former subordinate officers, a droungarios. 37
36
Although we are very skeptical about a possible con-
nection of Kallistos with the Melissenos family, this
37
issue is not of importance to us now and will be dis-
cussed in the second part of this study. What matters
now, however, is the career of Kallistos himself. Alt-
hough one cannot exclude the option of Kallistos
having served together with the droungarios when
the former was a domestikos of the scholai, it seems
more likely that this happened during his service as
doux of Koloneia.
Ioannes (see above, no. 3) and this anonymous per-
son are the two only droungarioi of the theme of Ko-
loneia known so far. It is of great interest to note
that the time period of their existence spans around
the 830’s – early 900’s, that is the period when the
authority of a droungarios was in gradual decline.

--------------------------------------------------------
35
Bryer & Winfield, 1985: 145, fn. 2 and 147, fn. 38; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 488, fn. 3. About the anonymous
paraphylax, see: McGeer, Nesbitt, & Oikonomides, 2001: no. 48.6 [9th c.].
36
PmbZ # 3606.
37
Васильевскiй & Никитинъ, 1905: 34, line 9.
Pantelis CHARALAMPAKIS KAREN 2016 / 2 / 2 12

Although Kallistos was doux of Koloneia in the late

830’s (certainly in 838) and, therefore, the anony-
mous droungarios must have served at about the
same time, that is either prior to the formation of
the theme of Koloneia or at the very beginnings of its
existence,38 it is important to add this person in the
list of officials, in order to have a better overview of
the administrative history of the area.
5. The strategoi of Koloneia
We would like to call the reader’s attention to and
briefly comment on a passage in Porphyrogennetos’
38
De administrando imperio (DAI 45.47).39 According
to the emperor’s narrative, Leon VI sent Lalakon,
39
strategos (military general) of the Armeniakoi, to-
gether with the strategoi of Koloneia, Chaldia and
40
Mesopotamia, to the area of Phasiane against the Ar-
abs. This campaign took place most likely in 901. 40
But when exactly this anonymous strategos took
4142

command of Koloneia, it is not clear. Be that as it

may, it is remarkable that although the aforemen-
43
tioned passage is quoted in a few studies,41 only re-
cently was this person included in a prosopograph-
ical dictionary and thus his name should be added to
the list of officials of the theme of Koloneia, together
with the one mentioned in a seal from Vienna, which
was published after the Greek edition for the Asia
Minor themes.
The list of the strategoi of the theme of Koloneia can
be thus completed as follows:
1 – Anonymous, strategos of Koloneia (863)42: The-
ophanes Continuatus, 4.25.42.43
2 – Konstantinos, imperial protospatharios and
strategos of Koloneia (850-900)44: Austria, Wien, W.
Seibt collection 28.45

--------------------------------------------------------
38
On the date of the formation of the theme see: Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 235-236, with references.
39
Πορφυρογέννητος: 206.
40
This strategos of Mesopotamia was apparently not in charge of a theme, but of a smaller division, perhaps
a tourma. Iachnoukas' appointment as strategos of Nikopolis occurred between ca. 903-912, and Porphy-
rogennetos (DAI 50.123-124) wrote that at the time when Leon VI promoted Iachnoukas (PmbZ # 22652),
there was no theme of Mesopotamia yet. This view, could, perhaps, move the creation of the theme of
Mesopotamia a little later than it is generally accepted today (ca. 899-901).
41
Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 325-326, with fn. 43.
42
Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 485, no. 1 [863]. This strategos of Koloneia is mentioned together with those of
the other themes of Asia Minor. This is, perhaps, the earliest reference to the theme of Koloneia.
43
Συνέχεια του Θεοφάνη: 258.
13 The Byzantine Theme of Koloneia…

3 – Gregoras, imperial protospatharios and strategos

of Koloneia (885-925)46: USA, Washington DC, DO
BZS 1958.106.3493 (ex Zacos coll.).47
4 – Anonymous, strategos of Koloneia (901)48: DAI
45.47.
5 – Christophoros, imperial protospatharios and
strategos of Koloneia (940-960)49: USA, Washington
DC, DO BZS 1947.2.71 (ex Shaw coll.).50
6 – Michael, imperial protospatharios and strategos
of Koloneia (940-960)51: USA, Washington DC, DO
BZS 1955.1.1558 (ex Zacos coll.).52
7 – Katakalon Kekaumenos, kouropalates and strat-
egos of Koloneia (1057-1059).53

4445
Conclusion
The two newly published lead seals help us complete
46 the lists of Byzantine officials who served at the
theme of Koloneia in Pontos area. It is worth noting
47 that, as Leveniotes has already pointed, the kritai of
Koloneia are all dated in the 11th (or, perhaps, also in
48 the very late 10th) century. Provided that the theme
was formed around the first half or the middle of the
49 9th century, one would expect to find at least one
krites dated earlier in the 10th c. We have either not
50 yet discovered this evidence or Koloneia was at that
time (that is before the 11th c.) somehow still con-
51 nected to the theme of the Armeniakoi, and jurisdic-
tion of the kritai of the latter was stretching as far
52 as Koloneia. Nevertheless, the number of seals re-
lated to Koloneia in general is quite small compared
53
to other themes. About the strategoi, apparently the
existing number is too small for a period of about
two centuries and, perhaps, we should expect more

--------------------------------------------------------
44
PmbZ # 23787.
45
Seibt & Wassiliou, 2004: no. 319 [2nd half of the 9th c.].
46
PmbZ # 22326; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 485, no. 2 [9th - 10th c.].
47
McGeer, Nesbitt, & Oikonomides, 2001: no. 48.8 [9th - 10th c.].
48
PmbZ # 30847.
49
PmbZ # 21294; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 485, no. 5 [10th c.]; Bryer & Winfield, 1985: 147, fn. 38.
50
McGeer, Nesbitt, & Oikonomides, 2001: no. 48.7 [10th c.].
51
PmbZ # 25223; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 485, no. 4 [10th c.]; Bryer & Winfield, 1985: 147, fn. 38.
52
McGeer, Nesbitt, & Oikonomides, 2001: no. 48.9 [10th c.].
53
Λεβενιώτης, 2007: 569, no. 137, 537 and 573, no. 156; Βλυσίδου & al., 1998: 485-486, no. 6 [1057-1059].
Despite the efforts of G. Litavrin to prove that Katakalon Kekaumenos, himself originating from Koloneia,
was strategos of that theme, this theory, in our opinion, should be accepted only with skepticism. The same
applies to Kekaumenos’ position as a doux. The editors of the PBW (Katakalon 101) decided not to include
Koloneia in his career.
Pantelis CHARALAMPAKIS KAREN 2016 / 2 / 2 14

seals to appear. The inscription mentioning Ioannes

droungarios is now considered lost, yet we shall
keep looking for it. The identification of this Ioannes
with a person mentioned on a seal, as suggested by
Bryer and Winfield, is almost certain. A second
droungarios, most likely serving in Koloneia, as we
believe, is mentioned in the Passio of the 42 Martyrs
of Amorion. This passage not only helps us to enrich
the lists of officials of Koloneia, but also proves that
every detail and every information provided by lit-
erary sources is important for the study of the the-
matic administration.

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17
Key Words: Pontos, Koloneia,
theme, prosopography, administra-
tion, Byzantine seals
Anahtar Kelimeler: Pontos, Ko-
loneia, Thema, prosopografi, yöne-
tim, Bizans mühürleri
The Byzantine Theme of Koloneia…
SHORT NOTES ON THE PROSOPOGRAPHY OF THE
BYZANTINE THEME OF KOLONEIA (PART I)
Abstract: This study, the first part of two, presents short
notes and comments on the officials of the Byzantine
theme of Koloneia. Two Byzantine lead seals are published
here for the first time. One belongs to Leon, krites of Ko-
loneia, the other to Michael, anagrapheus and krites of Ko-
loneia and Sebasteia. The lost inscription of Ioannes,
droungarios of Koloneia is also presented here, together
with a previously unnoticed reference to another
droungarios in the Passio of the 42 Martyrs of Amorion.
The lists of the kritai and strategoi of Koloneia are com-
pleted on the basis of recently discovered and published,
but also unpublished evidence.
KOLONEIA THEMASI BİZANS PROSOPOGRAFİSİ
ÜZERİNE KISA NOTLAR (BÖLÜM I)
Özet: Bu çalışma, Bizans’ın Koleneia thema’sı ile ilgili kısa
notlar ve yorumlar sunan iki bölümlü bir araştırmanın ilk
kısmıdır. İki Bizans kurşun mührü burada ilk defa bu
çalışmada yayınlanmıştır. Mühürlerden birisi Koloneia
krites'i Leon'a ve diğeri Koloneia ve Sebastia ana-
grapheus'u ile krites'i Michael'e aittir. Ayrıca Koloneia
droungarios'u Ioannes'in kayıp yazmasına da Amorion'un
42 martirinin Passio'sundaki diğer droungarios'un daha
önce farkedilmemiş atfına da burada yer verilmiştir. Ko-
loneia'nın Kritai ve strategoi listesi yakın geçmişteki
keşiflerle tamamlanmış ve yayınlanmıştır.